Ironing board



March 10.. 1925.

C. W. HALL IRONING BOARD Filed Dec. 14. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwue ntoz I CZZzJde W Hall March 10. 1925.

C. W. HALL IRONING BOARD Filed Dec. 14. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 grwwntoz CTZz'de WHOZZ Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

' UNITED STATES 1. 2 8 PATENT OFFICE.

GLIDE w. HALL, or WEBSTER CITY, Iowa.

\IBONING BOARD.

Application filed December 14, 1923. Serial No. 680,647.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIDE W. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Webster City, in the county of Hamilton and'State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing Boards, of which the following is a s ecification.

The present invention re ates to an ironing board of very simple construction and a board that may be folded very compactly when not in use. This board is provided with three folding legs which are so connected therewith that they will snap into erected position after having been partly opened and also snap back into folded position after once being'started.

One object of the invention is to mount the legs in such position that they provide a very wide base on the floor when the board is erected but that all three legs will fold within the side edges of the board when taken down. In other words, the legs open and close automatically and in a very short time. There are no braces or wires beneath the board which generally take up a great deal of room and form obstructions for the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated, and

Figure 1 is a fragmentary bottom planview of the board folded;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the supporting legs swung into open position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view seen from line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a similar View seen fromline 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse section taken along line 5'-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is'a fragmentary transverse section taken along line 66 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 represents the top of an ironing board which has the usual narrow elongated shape. A short distance from the broad end of the board is secured a reinforcing piece 11 of wood or plate of rectangular contour and extending practically the full width of the board. A similar reinforcing piece 12 of almost square contour is secured centrally on the under side of the board and about midway of the ends of the same. To/the reinforcing piece 12 is bolted or riveted a hinge socket or base I3 which is preferably'a sheet '31 and a bracket 32.

metal plate with bent down edges 14 forming parallel side flanges thereon. At the rear ends of these flanges is pivoted a hinge shoe or sleeve 15 by means of a pivot 16 for each of said flanges 14. This hinge shoe is also made of sheet metal and consists of two inwardly inclined side walls 17 anda connectingwall or back 18. The hinge shoe 15 car ries centrally the forward swinging le 19 preferably made of wood and fitting tig tly between the edges of the connecting wall 18 and the side walls 17 and secured thereto by means of rivets or screws 20. One side of the leg 19 rests firmly against the back 18 of the hinge shoe and is held tightly against the same by means of rivets or bolts 21. This construction is best seen in Figures'l and 6 of the drawings. At 22 is shown a small bracket secured on the under side of the board 10 close to the rear of the reinforcing piece 12. This'bracket is provided with a ledge 23 having an aperture in which one end of a coiled tension spring 24 engages, the other end thereof engaging in an aperture 25 provided at the bottom edge of the back 18 of the hinge shoe 15. The relative positions of the ledges 23 the aperture 25 and the pivots 16 are such that the tension spring is able to hold the front leg 19 pressed a ainst the under side of the board 10 when the leg is in folded position and the spring has also the tendency to firmly hold the leg in open position and the inner end of the hinge shoe 15 pressed firmly against the body of the base or hinge socket 13 on account of this arrangement.

The rear legs and their connection with the board is similar to that already described, the only difference being that instead of the leg 19 being mounted centrally in the hinge shoe 15, the rear legs 26 are secured along one side wall of the respective hinge shoes. Similarly to the front connection, this rear connection consists of a hinge socket 27, a hinge shoe 28 having inclined sides 29 and a connecting back 30; a spring The construction of the hinge socket 27, the hinge shoe 28, the spring 31 and the bracket 32 is exactly the same as the similar parts for the front leg connection. .The legs 26 are placed along the inner inclined side walls 29 of their re- I spective hinge shoes 28 and rigidly secured thereto by rivets or bolts 33 while one side of each rear leg rests against the back 30 of .freel during the swingingof the 1e each socket and isheld in that position by means of other rivets or bolts 34. In this manner there is left a space between one side of each leg 26 and the o ter side wall 39 of the correspondin hinge. shoe 28. The. rear le 26 when folded Wlll accordingly take a su stantially parallel position under the board 10 as best-seen m Figure 1. Each spring is placed in said space in order to ac;

an has or this reason one end secured in an aperture 36 in the back 30.

With regard to the simplicity of construction and cheapness of manufacture, it is ointed out that the respective hinge soc ets 13, 27, the hinge shoes 15, 28 and the spring brackets 22, 32 are all alike and preferably manufactured from sheet metal. These parts may be stamped or pressed, using the same dies. The difference in the angularity of the supporting legs 19 and 26 instead of being obtained by different construction' of the said metal parts, is accomplished by securing the rear leg hinge parts at an angle to the central, perpendicular plane of the board in which plane the front leg is situated. As best seen in Figure 1 the inner walls 29 of the hinge shoes 28 run parallel'to said perpendicular plane and accordingly the rear legs 26 will fold parallel with the central or forward legs 19 when the board is taken down. All the holes for the pivots and screwsmay be punched out and it is evident that the same holes may be provided in all of the sockets and shoes alike leaving those open that are not needed for the securing of a particular leg 19 or 26. In the drawings the apertures 25, 36 for the tension springs 24, 31 are shown on both sides of the bracket but it is clear that one of these holes may also be left open and theories situated nearthe outer walls of the sockets used for the rear legs.

When ironing skirts or the like which re-- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An ironing board comprising a top,

legs for supporting the to a bin e connectionbetween each of said legs an said to said hinge connections permitting the fold ing of said legs in substantiall parallel direction under the top and t e spreading apart of the free ends of the legs when in erected position; each hinge connection including a base and a shoe pivotally connected thereto adjacent one end of said shoe and said base, means for securing a leg rig- I idly in its shoe, said hinge shoe having side walls inclined from said base toward its free end, and a connecting wall between said side walls, said leg fitting tightly between the edges of said walls.

2. An ironing board comprising a top, legs for supporting the top, a hinge connection between each of said legs and said top, said hinge connections permitting the folding of said legs in substantially parallel direction under the top and the spreading apart of the free ends of the legs when in erected position; each hinge connection including a base having parallel side flanges and a shoe pivotally connected to said flanges adjacent one end of said shoe and said base, the hinge end of said shoe adapted to. fit snugly between said flanges and abut against the body of the base when the leg is in erected position, means for'securing a leg rigidly in its shoe, said hinge shoe having side walls inclined from said base toward its free end, and a connecting wall between said side walls, said leg fitting tightly between the edges of said walls.

3. An ironino' board comprising a top, re-

inforcing members secured on the under side of said. top and running in transverse direction thereof, front and rear legs for supporting the top, a hinge connection between each of said legs 'and said top, saidhinge connections permitting the folding of .said legs in substantially pa'rallel direction under the top andthe spreading apart of the free ends of the legs when in erected position,

said hinge connections being of identical construction, the hinge connection for the front leg being positioned in a longitudinal central, perpendicular plane of the top and the bin e connections for the rear legs being situated symmetrically as regards said plane but at an angle thereto.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GLIDE W.= HALL. 

